The Grand Masquerade
by Pereybere
Summary: When you are anonymous and your actions can have no repercussions you’ll find that your inhibitions just... disappear: B&B, A&H, C


**Title: **The Grand Masquerade

**Disclaimer: **Most definitely not mine. Only borrowed.

**Rating: **I have to stress this is _very_ MA rated. Or at least it is on my website. Here at you will find the tamer M rated version.

**Summary: **When you are anonymous and your actions can have no repercussions you'll find that your inhibitions just... disappear.

**Pairing: **It's all here. Brennan and Booth, Hodgins and Angela as well as the... unusual pairing of Camille and Wendell.

**Author's Note: **Well, September is almost over and Halloween is coming. I got to thinking about fancy dress parties and then about the fantasy behind dressing up and pretending to be someone you're not without actually changing who you are. It's harmless fun and can sometimes allow people to behave in ways they wouldn't normally. From there it was only a leap to a masquerade ball – where the identity of those you talk and dance with is truly hidden. Behind a mask, although you might be almost certain of a person's identity – you can never really _prove_ it, can you? And that opened a lot of doors for harmless, carnal sex between our favourite characters. In short, this is a smut-fest – LOL. Still, I hope the lack of plot and deep profoundness doesn't off-put too many people. When we hit MA, it'll be uploaded to BFF.

_Act One_

"_I've admired you... for quite some time," he said from behind the golden mask. His dark eyes had flecks of gold too and she had never noticed them before. Every part of him was covered, apart from those eyes – visible through the holes cut in the porcelain mask. Even his hands were covered beneath white gloves. He looked aristocratic, standing tall and proud. She couldn't have been sure that he was the man she believed he was._

"_How do you know I am who you think I am?" He made a noise and she knew behind the mask he was smiling._

"_I would say 'the mask can disguise your face but not your voice'...but that wouldn't be very mysterious." He tipped his hat like a gentleman._

"_Why now...? Why when I can't see your face?" _

_It should have been obvious why. There were thousands of reasons why a flirtation between them, however brief, would be a mistake. She couldn't deny the yearning she too had felt in his company, of late. The subtle hints passed across an examination, the lingering looks that should have taught her more about his eyes than they had. And even as she was ninety-nine percent certain who this man was now, the one percent that she could never prove had given her bucket loads of courage._

"_Do you want to see my face?" he asked evenly. She peered long and hard into the gold-flecked irises._

"_No," she replied firmly. That would bring the fantasy to a tragic end all too soon. "Would you like to accompany me to the terrace?" He would be smiling again. The gentle tip of his head confirmed his ascent. _

"_Lead the way, ma'am."_

_***_

_He couldn't find her. _

_She hadn't given any indication of what she would be wearing – it was all part of an elaborate plan of hers to play games and keep him guessing. He didn't know anyone at this dumb party and worse, the crappy mask he had to wear was making his skin itch. "Masquerade my ass," he growled as he pushed aside a flurry of multi-coloured feathers protruding from a woman's mask. _

_Every part of him was covered, as per custom and the heat inside the ballroom was stifling. He could have used one of those fan things that the women were carrying around. _

_He tried to analyse their bodies through the vibrant dresses, hoping that he might know her from that alone. He had spent enough hours ogling her, after all. But she knew what he was wearing! Why hadn't she sought him out? He had specifically told her; black mask with silver design. And a red rose on his lapel. There certainly wasn't another red rose in sight. _

_Willing himself to be calm he surveyed the crowd of three hundred people once more – slowly, breathing deeply. She had ten minutes to find him and then he was going home!_

_And pale blue glove slid along his arm, too slowly to have been merely a casual brush. "I've been looking for you," a husky voice announced._

_***_

_He would have recognised her breasts anywhere. Even if her chest and heaving bosom was the only part of her body uncovered – which it was – he would have recognised the curve of her breasts at once. The vibrant pink feathers that sprung from the crown of her ivory mask were very 'her' too. Even if the full-bodied dress wasn't so much her style, he was certain beyond a doubt in his mind that it was her and just imagining her body beneath the period costume had his pulse pounding. _

_He had dressed as a court-jester with a black and red hat to match his mask. He wondered if she would notice the essence of him beneath the facade or whether she would remain oblivious of his identity when he took her to bed, tonight._

_listen to yourself, you arrogant jerk. You're so certain you'll get her to bed? he asked himself, smirking behind his mask. Yes he mentally replied. I am certain. He was, too. Confidence had never been a problem of his, really – nor hers. He had been yearning to bed her for months now and tonight was the ultimate opportunity because, in the morning, there would be no lamenting over attached strings and questions about how to deal with it. It would be passionate sex between two fiery adults. _

_He watched her for a long moment from under the marble archway. She met his gaze and held it – seeing only his eyes. She did not notice that he was smiling – indeed the court-jester mask depicted an endless, comical smile, but she did not see that the human behind it was experiencing a similar emotion. His wasn't comedy – but excitement. Raw, excitement._

_Perhaps he was imagining it, but didn't her chest just hitch a little? _

_Moistening his lips he crossed the room and took her gloved hand in his, leading her into a dance. Indeed tonight was about sex – but he wasn't incapable of a little bit of romance, first._

_-End Act One-_

This was just a short chapter to introduce you to the scenarios. In typical masquerade-form, I am not giving away the identities of each couple just yet. Even though it is probably very obvious who is who. Please let me know what you are thinking, so far! :) Don't forget, if you're not already a member over at BonesFiction, come join now so that when the MA rated chapters come, you can read them!


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